Friendships Last a Lifetime
by writer-of-stuff
Summary: AFter continuously being denied search for Sasuke, Naruto left the village to become a ronin. But soon after, he forgets about Sasuke, enjoying the life. Then it comes back to him and slaps him in the face.
1. Life of a Ronin

A/N: Okay, so…this story is gonna have a lot of sequals. I have so many ideas, but want to only do one story at a time so be expecting some sequals. Also, R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, even if it would be cool to, I don't.

**------------------------------------------Chapter 1: Life of a Ronin------------------------------------------**

A pair of rugged blue eyes glistened with the reflection of the fire in front of him. The boy, barely older than 15, stared deep into the enchanting flames, letting a calm breeze slide across his face. He closed his eyes, trying to engrave this nice, relaxing feeling into his mind. He smiled upon hearing the familiar crackle of the flames and opened his cerulean eyes to the sight of ashes, floating calmly away with the wind.

This was the feeling of freedom: not being bound by anything, laws, rules, missions, or even the old lady. And this was the feeling he could never get used to, even after two years of it. Every night, it sent the same exciting chill down his back, like he could accomplish anything, especially on cloudless days where even the clouds couldn't stop him.

Yep, that was the wondrous life of a ronin, or in more _politically_ _correct_ terms a nukenin. But the boy preferred to refer to himself as a ronin, mainly because he still felt ties to his home village and because, someday, he would return. Of course, he wasn't planning on doing so any time soon, or at least, he wasn't ecstatic about it. And why should he be? The village hated him. He had been known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune to most villagers even though, technically, he wasn't.

But that wasn't why he ran away. It was because of freedom, just like the kind he felt right now. Like the kind that ran through his hair at that moment. The boy had always hated stupid, boring missions and never understood why _he_, out of all the other ninjas, always had to do them. He was tied down by the old lady who always assigned him shit for missions. Of course he grew tired of them, and decided to go search for Sasuke himself. Oh, wait…Sasuke.

Sasuke was now a side mission. As he enjoyed the freedom, Naruto told himself that he would stay alert for any news about him, but…

Naruto's feeling of great excitement was swept away as suddenly as the wind. He looked solemnly down at the dirt in front of him. It had two and half years since that bastard had run away. Naruto still remembered the fight, still remembered Sasuke's ignorance. He still remembered what he had told him, hoping it would sway Sasuke's decision. But no, he was stubborn as usual. His brother. When he woke up in the hospital with the news, that's what it had felt like, losing a brother.

"Teme," Naruto breathed.

Another breeze blew through.

_Dobe,_ it seemed to whisper.

Naruto smiled sadly.

FLASHBACK 

"I promise, I will get Sasuke back," Naruto smiled, showing a thumbs-up. "It's my way of the ninja."

END OF FLASHBACK 

Naruto gripped his katana next to him tightly, lifting his head up to the glimmering crescent moon.

"I promise," he whispered, closing his eyes.

In a minute, he was asleep and breathing softly. Another breeze blew through. It tried to pull the fire with it and the flames responded by fluttering wildly. It caught the blond's last words, carrying them far in separate ways.

Sasuke just smirked, far away, as if he heard the message the wind carried.

Sakura smiled, comforted. "I know, Naruto."

BREAK 

The sun's evil glare seemed to be concentrated persistently on Naruto. "Damn sun," Naruto mumbled as he admitted defeat to the undeniable ball of gases. He tried to open his eyes, but the strong glare snapped them back closed. He groaned and shielded his eyes from the sun's harmful rays. Slowly, his eyelids crept open until he had gotten used to the day's cloudless brightness. A second groan escaped his mouth as struggled to stand up.

Finally standing straight, Naruto began to groggily scan his surroundings. Everything had stayed where it was from the night before. The once blazing fire, now stood smoldered in front of him, starving for more wood. Naruto just ignored it as he left to a nearby creek with his pack and katana.

The creek didn't flow very fast and looked clean, almost transparent. Naruto dropped his stuff on the riverbank and dropped to his knees. The water felt cool and soothing as he splashed it onto his face. He paused, kneeled beside the creek.

He stared at his reflection. Now that he had become a ronin, he didn't pay much attention to his looks, changing his outfit and not bothering to comb or mess with his hair. It had grown long and now covered his forehead and some of his eyes, but its golden hue still remained. He wore a gray undershirt with a burnt orange jacket that was halfway zipped. His black pants drooped over the tops of his black boots.

A gray fish swam over and under Naruto's head's reflection. It waded there for a minute or so. Naruto smiled and licked his lips hungrily. He reached into his kunai pouch and snatched one out, readying it so he wasn't late with his throw. He froze, waiting patiently.

1 second…

…2 seconds…

…3 seconds…

On the fourth second, the fish jumped out and Naruto flung his sharpened knife with the deadly accuracy. The kunai sped through the air at a blinding rate, hitting a background tree in less then a second, the fish embedded in it. It wiggled a little, but gradually abated until it was absolutely still. Smiling at his handiwork, Naruto walked to the other side and took the fish to cook.

"Breakfast," he said, a smug look on his face.

BREAK 

"We're supposed to kill this kid!" a man whispered, hidden behind the brush. "He doesn't look like much. I could probably do it myself."

"But did you see how he threw that kunai? It-"

"Even a Genin could throw a kunai straight," the first man interrupted. "This guy's a piece of cake; I can't even believe he was registered as a class-B nukenin!"

The second man groaned at the first's unwavering confidence. "Then go test your luck. But don't blame me if he kicks your ass."

"Hn," the first replied arrogantly as he readied four kunai.

BREAK 

Naruto exhaled happily, patting his full stomach. "Wow, 3 fish can really do a lot!" He laughed a little.

"Well, now time for a bath." He rolled back and, using the momentum from the roll, began the other way onto his feet. Slowly, he waddled to the creek, making sure not to upset his full stomach. One by one, he began to undress. When he had pulled down his boxers, he dove into the creek.

After 5 minutes of random splashing, Naruto crawled out of the creek, water dripping off of his body. He fished a towel out from his pack and dried himself before redressing.

Suddenly, 4 kunai shot out from the bushes. Naruto looked up and stared in surprise as they hit him full force, knocking him back by the river again. His body went limp.

"That was too easy. He shouldn't have even been classified as a nukenin. I can't believe that idiot wanted us to kill him. He's not any kind of a threat," the man laughed.

"I don't know, man. Something smells fishy."

The unmoving body disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Shit!" the first man said. "We gave away out position!"

"Damn right!" a voice cried out from above them. "Stupid idiots. Its you two who shouldn't be shinobi. Falling for such a simple trick like that.

"U-Urusai!" the man said, a little embarrassed. He glared at the boy.

"You're a moron, Moketsu," the second man rolled his eyes.

His partner glared at him, but he just shrugged. "Let's just kill the boy and get out pay."

"Wait, wait, wait, Moketsu? You two wouldn't happen to be Moketsu and Ketsura would you?"

The two looked at each other before turning back towards him.

"And how would you know that?" one of them asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, the two of you are infamous. Its not that hard to hear these rumors." Naruto paused. "But I can't believe that the brothers I heard so much about, fell into such a Genin-level trap," Naruto said.

"Neither did we," Two voices appeared from behind him. Naruto whirled to face the two behind him.

"What?" he said in confusion, turning around to see the other two still standing there, smirking.

"You are easily fooled as well, but there is one difference between us," Moketsu said, smirk growing by the second.

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"We have speed on our side," Another Moketsu whispered into his ear.

Naruto took out a kunai and in a flash, stabbed it behind him, but nothing was there. He looked around, only to see himself alone again. Naruto readied his kunai and peered around warily.

"You can't win when you can't see us," A ghost-like voice said, coming from all sides.

"The Kirigakure no jutsu, eh? But without the mist."

"Smart kid, for a mere teenager. But we have years and years of experience. There is no way you can beat one of us much less both of us." The air rang again.

"We'll see," Naruto mumbled.

"Hm. You don't stand a chance kid." Moketsu said, appearing beside him. Naruto jumped to the side as Moketsu slashed down with small daggers. Though he missed, Naruto felt great pain in his leg and looked down to see his skin tenderized. Naruto winced at the pain. It was like a hot searing sensation, pulsing through his body.

"Our attacks our fueled by lightning. Even if you dodge, electricity is unpredictable and can still bite you."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, getting annoyed with always having to hear pointless explanations. He grabbed his katana that he had tied around his waist and slowly took it out of the sheath. The blade glowed bright red as Naruto fed it Kyuubi's chakra.

Two bolts of lightning shot down and the brothers appeared. "You won't be able to hit us with a sword, even if it is fueled by chakra, it won't even be able to touch us," Moketsu said.

"Our speed is unrivaled." Ketsura continued. Then the two disappeared again. Naruto only smirked, holding the blade firmly. All of a sudden, the red chakra shot out from the blade and flared at his side. Naruto turned and saw Ketsura there, immediately stopped by the youkai.

"What the hell?" Ketsura said, jumping away to keep his distance.

"What's wrong brother?" the air rang.

"**This!"** a voice came from the sword as the red chakra rushed out again. Forming a hand, it seemed to have grasped air, but one bolt of lightning and Moketsu appeared binded in the hand.

"What…the…fuck!" Moketsu said as the chakra began to burn his skin. He screamed as his skin was incinerated. The chakra retreated back to the sword and the lifeless body fell for meters until it hit the ground with a disgusting _thump_.

Ketsura just stared. "M-Moketsu?"

Naruto looked from him, down to his brother. "Uh…I think he's dead actually. Kyuubi does like to kill people. I let him do that occasionally."

"Kyuubi?"

"Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Ketsura wasn't scared though, his saddened face gradually turned into rage.

"I will kill you," Ketsura growled.

Naruto just shrugged. "So many people say that, yet I'm still standing here, breathing the air."

All of a sudden, Ketsura broke into hand seals. Without saying anything, he burst into electricity and shot at Naruto. Unable to stop the speed of light electricity, Naruto lifted his sword to stab the Ketsura as he came through, but the electricity split around the blade, touching Naruto as it swarmed past him. Naruto shook violently at the charge, but remained standing.

The charges pulsed through his body a second time, making the blow twice as painful.

"That was…good," Naruto trying to keep his ground. But the blow knocked him unconscious and he collapsed. Ketsura appeared again on a tree branch behind the fallen boy. Ketsura walked up to the boy and took out his dagger.

"This is for you Moketsu." He lifted it and brought it down upon the boy's heart.

_SPLAT!_

Blood flew everywhere.

A/N: Okay, I worked hard on this story. You guys need to review it…seriously. I need ideas. I only think up the main things before time, not these small details. I write them as I go. So if you want a fast update give me ideas on what to do next. Also, vote for pairings. NO GAY ONES! (literally).


	2. Life of the Unforgotten

A/N: First of all, I know I had posted this chapter before, but…it was screwed up. I read it over after I posted it and I realized why all of you were so confused. Sorry for the mix up. I hope you guys don't hate me for it. Just read this new one. And for those new people who reviewed, sorry for not including you into this. I will try to include you in the next chapter. Thanks for your patience and I hope you guys like this chap.

Now, the following note is an old one:

I'm really sorry for the long update. I had one part in this chapter that I had trouble with (actually it was like one or two pages ). It was the part where…where. Maybe I shouldn't be telling you guys this. Well, read and I'll tell you my troubles at the end.

By the way: I thank you for all of your reviews! I have to say, though I didn't get as many as I used to, these reviews are much more in depth and much more appreciated. Thanks a lot. Now for the responses:

(And, I'm going backwards, starting from the latest review)

**Midnight's Requiem:** Yep, I killed him alright. He's dead, gone to the heavens! Alleluia. :D The "Konoha faired thing" is coming up. You will be able to tell by the end of this chap…I think.

**Kirallie:** I think you are wrong on all of your predictions but I really am thankful for them. They helped me figure out what I was going to do. And…flashbacks…uh….I had it planned that I was going to describe where he got the sword from, but it sorta escaped my story. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough.

**Korrd:** Thanks for the idea, but I already told myself the guidelines of the pairings and OC is out of them. Just not gonna happen. Sorry. Thanks for the review though.

**1chucha2:** That…works I guess. Well, it's here, kinda late though. Hope you don't mind too much.

**Katana:** Ehehehe? (laughing nervously) Hope this one hasn't collected enough dust to be hated yet. Had some story issues. Didn't know how to continue for a second. (It can be hard.) Thanks for the major support!

NOW, onto my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, even if it would be cool to, I don't.

**Last chapter update:**

_The kunai went down upon his heart._

_SPLAT!_

_Blood flew everywhere._

**--------------------------------------Chapter 2: Life of the Unforgotten--------------------------------------**

A tear drop fell from the sky, splashing onto an unconscious boy's forehead. Blood covered the scene, but the wound was gone. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open, but stopped, looking solemnly at the gray clouds above. Rain began coming down faster and faster, but no thunder was heard nor lightning seen. But none of it bothered the Kyuubi container. He turned his head and looked at his hand. It twitched a little. He turned back toward the sky.

"Sasuke," he whispered, eyes tearing up. "Are you going to do this again? Are you going to start this another fight?"

FLASHBACK 

"I never had a brother," Naruto said sadly, looking down into the river at his reflection. "But I always thought that maybe…just maybe, being with you was like…being with a brother." His voice gradually softened and his face stayed looking down at his reflection. Then, it snapped up.

"So that's why I will stop you, even if I have to drag your unconscious ass back!"

END OF FLASHBACK 

Those were big words back then. They meant something then, like they did now. But why? It wasn't fair! Naruto's face grew angrier and angrier. He pounded the ground under him. "It's NOT FAIR!" he shouted to the clouds. "I only…I only got a few months with him." Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. Naruto didn't try to hide them. They meant something. They symbolized his pain, as well as anything could. Naruto let them tumble down his cheeks.

"My brother…" Naruto murmered. "He really was trying to kill me."

The first signs of thunder appeared and rain fell even harder.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled. "DO I MEAN NOTHING TO YOU? AM I JUST SOME TOOL?"

Naruto imagined the answer he wanted to her.

"_No, Naruto. I had to,"_ Sasuke would say. Naruto would just smile. _"It's okay."_

But no, Naruto heard no such responses, just the same phrase over and over again. "I will kill you, and gain that power."

"The power to do what, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

But no one heard him. No one answered him. No one came to comfort him. He was left there to cry softly on his own, with no one to answer his call.

BREAK 

The clouds rolled away. The sun shone brightly over Naruto's head. He yawned, having just woken up, and pulled himself up to a sitting position. No birds were out today, probably joining him in feeling sad, in feeling gloomy. The fight. During it, Naruto had acted so care-freely, but it was just a mask, like all the million others he had worn every other day of his life. A mask hiding his pain.

All caused by that stupid furball stuck in his body.

_/Kyuubi no baka./ _ Naruto called.

No answer.

Naruto shrugged, used to that type of response. But soon a small feeling came into the pit of his stomach.

'That attack, Kyuubi couldn't have healed such an advanced attack especially when he added such electrical charges!' His eyes widened and began to shake in fear. 'I have to go and see him.'

Immediately his body went limp.

BREAK 

A candle lit up the room just enough to where you could vaguely make out shapes around you. There knelt a man, in front of a chair where another man sat.

"Ketsura, what is the news?" a voice as slippery as a snake's asked.

"Orochimaru-sama, I have killed the boy, but he managed to kill my brother, Moketsu," the man on the ground explained.

Orochimaru ignored the second statement. "How, exactly, did you manage to kill him?"

Ketsura suddenly looked up, surprised that such a great man would just ignore his second statement. But he looked back down, scared of those deceiving eyes. "I burned his entire body with my lightning attacks, before piercing his heart with my raikou tanken."

Orochimaru smirked. "Excellent." 'Even the Kyuubi's healing powers couldn't save him from that.' "Good job, Ketsura. Now, go and tend to Sasuke."

"Demo, Orochimaru-sama, he killed my brother," Ketsura blurted out. He hefted the body up to his master.

"Leave the body and go," Orochimaru ordered, adding killer intent to the message.

Ketsura cowered and backed off. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama," he worked up the nerve to answer as he left.

Orochimaru just continued smiling. 'The Kyuubi gaki has died…what a great day.' "Kabuto."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." The gray-haired shinobi asked, stepping forward from the man's side. "Go and kill him. He will cause too much trouble later with my ignoring his 'begging plea to help his brother.'"

"Hai." And the trusty assistant left.

"Now nothing can turn out dear Sasuke," Orochimaru laughed.

BREAK 

Sasuke lay on his bed, his head out of the room and into his mind. Hours ago, he had felt some sort of jolt. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed like something was missing, some vital part of his life. It was like a telepathic feeling. But just seconds later, he felt normal again. Now, he had spent endless hours contemplating what it was. He would've never guess that Naruto had just almost died.

BREAK .

Water dripped down from the ceiling, making ripples in the puddles below. One…followed by another…then another. The droplets kept coming down, one after the other. Naruto had long since learned how to come to this place freely and also learned that coming hear wasted no time. In other words, once he left, he would go back to the exact place where he left off.

But one thing he had never gotten used to was the lighting. It was unusual in the sense that he could see no visible lights. Yet, the corridor had lit up yellow when he entered. Furthermore, the light followed him wherever he went. If he stepped back, so did the yellow glow. If he jumped, the glow followed.

But Naruto didn't mind it at the time. Other things occupied his mind at the moment; issues that made him run to a certain demon's holding cage.

The room wasn't too far down the hall. Inside, the size didn't seem like much at first, but if you looked up, there didn't appear to be a ceiling.

Naruto ran to the door and grasped the bars.

"Kyuubi!" Naruto called. "Come on, get up, stupid furball."

No response.

Naruto molded chakra to light up the cage. Inside, he saw a small fox, just normal sized, laying down unconscious in the cage. He had lied about his size. Naruto smiled at that, his optimism telling him that the fox wasn't dead.

The stupid fox had said that he was a big as mountains. Now…well…look at him. Without his chakra, he shrunk to normal size. Naruto shook the door loudly. The small fox finally showed signs of movement. The boy let out a sigh of relief. "You nearly scared me half to death there, baka."

The fox turned his head. "Shut up, brat. If it wasn't for me you-"

"Don't try that shit on me. Even you couldn't heal that one. The pulses he sent through my body were too strong even for you," Naruto said.

"Well then…what?" the fox asked, still weak and without a lot of chakra.

FLASHBACK 

"I will bring Sasuke back," Naruto smiled. "That's my way of the ninja."

END OF FLASHBACK 

"My…oath," Naruto said, hypnotized by his own 'vision'.

"Your oath!" Kyuubi's voice had lost its supernatural ring with the complete depletion of chakra, which bothered his container a little. "It's just some stupid human words! How could some words heal such a complex wound?"

Slowly, the little fox struggled to get up.

"I don't know," Naruto replied, voice trailing off as he observed his sealed partner's struggle. "But it is funny to see how big you really are." Naruto laughed teasingly.

Kyuubi growled. "Brat, let's see how strong you are without my help."

Naruto immediately shut up, forcing a smirk out of the small demon.

"Now, apologize."

"I'm sorry," Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes.

"**NO**!" Kyuubi growled, some celestial 'glimmer' entering his voice.

Naruto sighed again. "I'm _sorry."_

"Wrong again," Kyuubi said, smiling smugly.

"I'm really sorry?"

"Come on, I've seen demons do better. Put more sincerity into it."

"THIS IS GOING TO TAKE FOREVER!" Naruto complained. "Stupid fox, you should be grateful that I even came down here to wake you."

"**I didn't ask for it." **The fox slowly began to grow larger and larger.

Frustrated, Naruto punched the cage door. "Itai!" He retreated back to the doorway, nursing his hand.

The fox rolled his eyes.** "Stupid humans like you shouldn't be allowed to become shinobi. Now go away. You're wasting my precious time."**

Naruto turned away. "Like you have anything better to do in that hellhole," he mumbled.

His hand began to twitch, showing forms of life. Slowly, his body followed and his eyes opened half way, adjusting to the bright sun. He yawned a little, even though he wasn't sleeping, and pushed himself up onto his feet. Another yawn escaped has he stretched, keeping his limbs comfortably flexible. He stared at the small clearing in front of him and smiled.

"Morning training!" he said, and prepared. It felt awkward to train where he 'slept' but, fell into the routine quite easily, first relaxing himself.

Naruto breathed deeply. He narrowed his eyes and took a kunai out from his pouch. He flung it at a nearby tree with the speed even a sannin would wish for. Right as the grip left his hand, he formed a seal. "Kage kunai no jutsu." The one multiplied into many. He took one more breath before sprinting after it. Knowing that he wouldn't make it, Naruto took out the same number of shuriken as there were kunai. One by one he flung them at different kunai at different angles. All but two were intercepted and veered off, digging themselves within trunks and the soft dirt. Naruto went to inspect his kunais. Out of all 12, he completely missed two with his shuriken. But he also failed six more times. Only four kunai, after being intercepted shuriken, went through a falling leaf and kept it stuck on as it embedded itself in the various objects. Naruto cursed and tried it again and again.

By lunch, he could only get 8 out of 12 and that's where he decided to stop and finally enter town. Looking into his wallet, he found some measly coins and knew that they wouldn't last him for much more than this day. He would need to find a new client.

SHORT BREAK 

This area remained the only place where trees grew in the Rock Country. Strangely enough, not many people lived near here. The town Naruto entered looked almost abandoned. He stood on the one main road it had, which branched off to other individual streets where the residents built their houses. Luck came in its best form right as he entered this rural town, as a client. What made this next mission peculiar, was when the man took him to a private hotel room, and took off his cloak. Tied onto his forehead, lay a forehead protector from the Cloud. Naruto didn't jump, but you could tell in his eyes that the sight had surprised him. The man, a little bulky, just chuckled a little.

"I've been observing you for the last few days and require your assistance for something," the man said.

"Why would you need me? You have your own skills to rely on." Naruto replied, trying not to sound too rude especially since he was in dire need for a new client.

"Well, the years have not been kind to me and I haven't used my skills in so long that they have grown a bit rusty." The man smiled kindly, looking at his hands and noting some old wrinkles that had developed. "I need a young-skilled shinobi, preferably a nukenin, to help me with my task."

Naruto nodded, not wanted to lose this client.

"We will travel to Fire Country. There is a mansion located near Konoha. That is the target. Once we arrive, I will give you the details."

Naruto didn't like the terms too much. It's proximity with Konoha was what made him most suspicious, but followed the man nonetheless, tailing his as this Cloud-nin checked out of his hotel. Then, he began the journey, unknowingly leading the boy, back to his hometown.

SHORT BREAK 

The pair traveled quietly for less than a day, finally arriving at the mansion just after sun down. The waited just outside the east wall as the man explained his plan. Naruto was to enter the compound, knock out the guards and fetch the clan head. He gave the blond a map of the place and the patterns of each guard's patrol. Naruto studied the map for a while before tying on a bandana to cover his hair and one to cover his face. He jumped onto the wall and smiled back at his client before disappearing behind it. The man smiled back and when he heard Naruto land softly on the other side, smirked, preparing a long blade he had hidden behind him.

BREAK 

Naruto stood almost hugging the wall as he waited for the next guard to turn the corner. No birds chirped that night, but the crickets made up for it, filling the night air with their endless noises. He counted in his head. When he reached 4 and saw no shadow, he sped out from behind the corner and into the compound through an open doorway no more than 3 feet away from the corner.

Dim candles lit the hallways. Naruto walked around warily, looking all different directions as he quickened his pace through the corridors. Suddenly he stopped. A shadow appeared on an intersecting hallway. Knowing from his client's patterns, exactly the way he was going, Naruto sped across the hallway furtively. He exhaled with relief when he had crossed but still stayed alert. Slowly, he made his way to the next corridor. Seeing another shadow, Naruto waited three seconds before rushing into the corridor. Naruto readied a punch, but the man acted faster, lifting an arm to block the attack.

"Intruders are not welcome here in our compound," the man said, slowly turning around.

"You're pretty good," Naruto admitted.

"I couldn't say the same about you, sneaking up behind people like that, hardly a way to show someone you are strong."

A little bit of anger shot through his face but immediately abated. Naruto just shrugged. "Well, now I'm not." He said.

The man smirked. "Now that you've been found, you don't run away?"

"I never run away from a fight. That is my way of the ninja."

"Funny," the man chuckled a little. "I've heard those words somewhere, a long time ago."

But Naruto ignored the comment and charged the man.

"Byakuugan!" the man said, forming a hand seal as he activated some strange doujutsu. Naruto froze.

"Byakuugan? I've heard of that before."

"As you should have. We are the most pronoun clan in Konoha. You would do well to remember us."

"Wait!" Naruto protested when the man charged. "I don't want to fight!" Every blow the man tried to make was blocked, but not without its drawbacks. For the man's speed made it difficult the Naruto to dodge the chakra pulses that the man shot through.

"And why not? You said it yourself, you never run from a fight."

Naruto lifted his hand and untied his two bandannas. "Because I'm not an enemy."

The man just snorted and charged again. "Intruders tend to be enemies," he replied as he began another onslaught, this time faster. Naruto fought hard to keep up, leaving his bandannas half untied.

Suddenly, the candle's flickered brightly.

"AN INTRUDER HAS BYPASSED OUR DEFENSES!" Someone shouted.

The light was enough to see the man's face. His eyes were pale but the pupils distinguished. His hair flowed long down his back tied in a small pony tail at the end. He wore somewhat Chinese styled clothing with about half a foot of fabric hanging out past his hands.

"Neji!" Naruto breathed. (His outfit is that same as when Naruto came back from training with Jiraiyi in the manga.)

The man stopped. He lifted an eyebrow and waited for his opponent to undo his face coverings. The cloth fell and his blond hair revealed. His whiskers were same as usual but his face looked… mor mature.

"N-Naruto?"

A/N: Okay…I'm guessing all of you want to know what took me so long. Well, it was the part from his next client…all the way down to the end. I don't think it's very good, but…it took me so long to think of how I should approach this that I just let it go. Well…anyways, R&R. Tell me if you think I could've changed it in any way because I know it isn't perfect.

Also, you might wonder why Naruto didn't use his sword against Neji. It was because the corridor is too small. And he just forgot….

…

…

Actually, I just forgot about it and didn't want to change it.


	3. Life of the Pursuer

A/N: Sorry for long update. Better explained after chapter. For now, just questions are always welcome. REVIEWS ARE GODLY, SO KEEPING SENDING THEM IN.

**Some Random Pocky Stick**: Thanks…I guess. Updates will be harder though.

**Korrd**: Umm….yaoi….yeah…I kinda forgot what that meant so if you don't want it, then just explain a little bit more.

**Kirallie**: Yeah, my brain can sometimes be a little hard to follow. Sorry. I'm not very good about putting everything I think of on paper, just bits and pieces, sorta.

**Basicallyinidiot**: confused again…sorry. I'll try to make them less confusing. This one might still be a little. I'll clear things up next chap for sure.

**MegagirlX:** Thanks…and try to, can't guarantee fast updates tho.

**HarbringerLady**: My writing confuses everybody. Just, try to follow along. I'll make the next chap a clear-uppie for sure, but not this one.

**Last Chapter Update**

"_Neji!" Naruto breathed. _

_The man stopped. He lifted an eyebrow and waited for his opponent to undo his face coverings. The cloth fell and his blond hair revealed. His whiskers were same as usual but his face looked… mor mature._

"_N-Naruto?"_

**Chapter 3: Life of the Pursuers**

It was hard to explain. Naruto wasn't sure why he did it. The bandanas, it's like they came off by themselves. He didn't even remember untying them. But he did, and they were off, now.

"Wow, two years, that's how long it's been isn't it?" Neji asked, observing the changed ninja in front of him.

"Yeah, it seemed like such a long time ago," Naruto uttered, his voice full of doubt.

Realizing the uncertainty, Neji quickly asked, "Are you going to stay?"

Naruto shook his head gently.

Neji didn't reply. He just stood their, still sizing up the blond's strength, trying to see how much strong the teenager really grew.

Finally, he seemed to grow satisfied, and continued to gather more information. "Everyone missed you."

Naruto looked passed the rookie-of-the-year. "Not everyone," Naruto breathed.

Neji caught the remark, but let it go. "Everyone is growing more and more like you, just to fill in the silence that you'd usually fill up by yourself."

Naruto smiled, remembering his old ways.

"Hinata has grown less shy; Sakura has undergone tough training, but endures and continues it; Lee, well he was already loud to begin with; Kiba and Akamaru have grown more dedicated; Ino is less into looks and more into training; Shikamaru, well, he's grown less lazy; Heck, Chouji's even gotten skinnier."

Naruto smiled, listening intently on the changes of his comrades. "And Tenten and yourself?"

Neji blushed a little. "You don't have to know anything about us."

A small laugh escaped Naruto, who changed to a stoic expression. 'Wow, things have really changed. Even Neji's got a girl now.'

"And 'baachan?"

Neji seemed a bit taken back and Naruto's disrespect but adapted to it. "She's the same if somewhat more melancholy." Seeing his blank expression, Neji clarified, "sad, sorrowful."

Naruto acknowledged the easier words, but he didn't change. "Things really have changed here." Naruto let out another laugh, "It's funny to think that an infiltration mission would bring me back."

"Infiltration?" Neji's eyebrow rose out of curiosity.

"Some strange old cloud-nin asked for my help to bypass the guards and kidnap your leader. It's funny, he even had a map of your mansion, and a pattern sheet of where your guards went at what time and stuff."

"Cloud…" Neji repeated. "Shit!"

Regaining movement, Neji ran past Naruto, roughly shoving him aside, as he ran through the hall and turned.

"Hey! Wait up!" Naruto called after, quickly recovering onto his feet and following.

"Oy, OY! What's going on?"

"Naruto, what's this cloud guy look like?" Neji asked, voice suddenly turning from soft to serious.

"Well, he was big and sorta built. Why?" Naruto asked.

"In the past, when we were all kids, a cloud clan attempted a kidnap of Hinata. It's what killed my father."

He didn't really understand the 'father' part, but ignored it. "That guy tried to kidnap Hinata?"

"Those cloud scum have been after our byakuugan for decades," Neji explained as he opened a door.

"Hiashi-sama!" The door was slammed down. Inside, blood stains covered walls and part of the floor but no one was there.

"That bastard!" Naruto, having seen the bloody sight, indignantly rushed out of the room.

Neji turned to see him go. He waited longer, closing his eyes in prayer. Suddenly his eyes reopened, filled with indignant determination. "Your kidnapper will be sought out and brought to justice."

BREAK 

The fresh air rushed to meet a blond ninja as he ran out and jumped over the walls, flipping before he landed on a branch that hung over the rock barrier. He smoothly jumped from tree to tree, every once in a while, catching the branch with his hands and using the momentum to swing himself up. The chases were never the best part of the missions but Naruto still enjoyed them. It was another time he could be free, but this time he had a purpose with him.

As he swung through the mass of trees, Naruto smiled, feeling as the air swiped past his face. Bark crumbled underneath his feet, the sound adding to the others which Naruto had come to enjoy. But he priority was to find his client. His enjoyment could wait. He had, what seemed like, a mission to fulfill for his friend. Naruto gathered the Kyuubi's chakra into his head, heightening his senses. His eyes seemed to glow with the red chakra, almost like the flames in Lee's eyes when he felt passion. Though his nose and ears didn't have any physical changes, Naruto could still feel their sharpness increase.

By now, he was used to it, having received them as gifts from the Kyuubi on his previous birthday about nine months ago. He wasn't sure why the red furball had all of a sudden began to grow soft on him.

For the past year and a half, it seemed he began to pity his human container, granting him special skills and teaching him unique techniques derived from foreign countries outside of Japan. Naruto wasn't certain of the origin, but he liked them, all of them. Of course, he underwent cruel training to earn them, but he felt it was well worth the effort. It just granted him so much strength that he was scared whether he should really be receiving it, after all, the Kyuubi was deemed evil and evil people had tendencies to obsess over immense power. In the back of his mind, Naruto wondered whether Kyuubi was just using the poor container. But either way, Naruto felt that it was ultimately used for good, to protect all those precious to him. He gladly accepted.

A presence appeared close by. Naruto turned behind him to see another body jump to his side.

Naruto smiled at the reinforcements whose white eyes just stole a brief glance at him.

"He's close," Naruto said, Neji nodding in agreement.

Naruto jumped down to the next branch. Using the momentum, he grabbed the branch and swung himself up, rocketing past the canopy. The moon was so bright. It sparkled like a diamond. Naruto's tense body relaxed, soothed by the majestic presence of the ball. He began to descend and looked down through the thick group of leaves. Passing right through the branches, Naruto landed on the next branch with a _thump!_

Neji eyed the boy suspiciously who just responded with the all-too familiar foxy grin. 

"We should slow down." Naruto looked ahead to see a figure resting in a clearing nearby.

Naruto just shook his head. "Not gonna happen." He jumped through the bushes that proved as a barrier between the forest and the clearing. His client jumped, startled by such a sudden presence.

"Ahhh…it's you. I must congratulate you for your work." Naruto just looked at the lifeless body beside him.

"Well, your work is done too," Naruto said. "I'm not going to let you continue with what you're doing."

Suddenly, Neji stood up from behind the bushes. "Naruto, stay out of this. This has nothing to do with you."

The man's eyes narrowed, yet his face looked interested. "Ahhh, the branch member, Hyuuga Neji, said to be a prodigy…for a branch member.

Neji didn't even flinch. "You two seem to be familiar with each other."

Naruto simply pulled his hitai-ite out of his pack. "I was, once a former leaf shinobi."

Neji eyed the headband, but didn't turn his head. "Enough of this. I'm here to take back what you have stolen. **_Jyuuken!_**"

The Hyuuga prodigy lashed out aggressively, hands and feet going at almost blurred speeds. His hands moved swiftly, the right one pushing through, trying to hit the heart. The man pushed it away to his left. Without missing a beat, Neji spun, using the momentum of the block, and this time, attacked with his left. Once again, the attack was aimed for the heart. The man jumped back, the emitted chakra barely making it to his chest.

"Not bad," the man admitted. But Neji didn't answer, his onslaught just continued. He forced his opened palm at the man, but he grabbed it. Neji smirked for a second before using his other hand and hitting the man's arm away. He jumped back to a safe distance.

Naruto had seen it, all of it. 'Clever, Neji,' he thought, smiling with approval. He leaned back on a tree, arms folded at his chest.

Neji charged the man again, throwing another open palm. The man attempted to move his hands, but they didn't. Knowing the cause, he began to panic, seeing his next attack coming.

"I shouldn't need to explain what I did to you," Neji smiled as swiped his hand again at the man.

But the cloud-nin just smiled. He ducked, and with free hands, grabbed Neji's wrist and flung him over his head, pushing a little electrical charge through on contact. Neji's body shook violently and his pupils (not like they were ever very visible) had gone. Slowly his eyes closed and he lay lifeless.

The cloud nin walked up to him and hoisted the young Hyuuga up onto his shoulder.

"He's not dead," Naruto muttered behind him.

The cloud just turned around and smiled. "I know, he's just unconscious."

Suddenly, the body whirled out from his arms grip. Neji's hand met the ground, supporting his weight as his feet connected viciously with the man's head. His collarbone shattered in a loud _SNAP_ as his body rammed roughly against the tree, making a big enough dent to cause the tree to collapse.

"Lee's attacks have worn off on me." Neji smiled.

"I see," Naruto beamed, obviously proud of his friend's improvements. "If the snapping collarbone didn't kill him then the chakra you sent to his brain would've."

Neji flinched, having thought that he chakra was unseen.

Naruto looked at the rag doll under the fallen, and then turned back toward Neji. "You aren't the only one with special eyes."

His eyes had turned red, glowing with that strange chakra that he had used in the finals at their first chuunin exam, but from what?

The young blond simply blinked and they returned to their normal twinkling cerulean color.

"Well, I'd better be going," Naruto said, stepping aside. A small burst of wind appeared and sand with leaves mixed in began to cover him. "I'll be coming and going a lot, hopefully." The wind died down and the leaves and sand was blown away. Naruto had left once again.

'Leaves _and_ sand, eh? He really is the #1 ninja for surprising people,' Neji smiled with approval. Naruto had passed his test with flying colors.

A/N: Okay, you might not understand what I mean by "test". Neji has just been sizing up Naruto's power and improvements. That was his test. If you still don't understand than too bad. I'm sorry it took so long. The fighting scene was terribly hard. I couldn't think of anything and before long, I had forgotten about fanfiction. I've been busy throughout the whole entire summer with volunteer crap (well, maybe not crap) and other shitty stuff (even though vacation is exactly shitty). But yeah, that's my excuse, so just accept it. Next update should come soon…I think….hehehe.

NOW I HAVE A SURVEY.

Would you like….longer chaps and longer updates? Or shorter chaps and shorter updates? Decisions, decisions.

O yea, and vote for pairings too. I cnat guarantee them. Just no gay and no really really old w/ really really young.


	4. Life of the Returned

A/N: well I was searching for the reviews on my email and I looked into my fic reviews folder…but these reviews weren't there! Gasp! I was like freaking out…but then I found them, buried at the bottom of my general inbox….-.- not sure if you needed to know that…

REVIEWS:

**Awsome Shadow:** OC pairing…got it…thanks for giving a small description about her.

**Silent-Spirit716:** Umm…first off, those aren't entirely rare, but I guess. I dunno, sakura or ino with naruto is just….weird for me. But if enough ppl want it, I'll try it. Sasukexsakura might happen too if I get to sasuke…hehehe. Thanks though.

**Silent-Spirit716 (again):** Definitely no gay pairings. I hate those…especially in action/adv. Stories.

**Sonic:** well I updated. :D

**Johnny:** you want narutoxsakura? (clarify).

THANKS FOR THE FREAKINGLY AWESOME REVIEWS BUT MORE WOULD BE REALLY AWESOME.

Now….for the chapter.

**Last chapter update:**

"_Well, I'd better be going," Naruto said, stepping aside. A small burst of wind appeared and sand with leaves mixed in began to cover him. "I'll be coming and going a lot, hopefully." The wind died down and the leaves and sand was blown away. Naruto had left once again._

'_Leaves and sand, eh? He really is the #1 ninja for surprising people,' Neji smiled with approval. Naruto had passed his test with flying colors._

**-----------------------------------------Chapter 4: Life of the Returned--------------------------------------**

The village twinkled like the stars in the sky like a reflection in water. But slowly, lights began to turn off one by one. Every once in a while a light would turn back on. Naruto guessed that it was probably a kid who couldn't sleep or something. He smiled, watching over the great village of Konoha. It hadn't changed one bit. His feet dangled over the edge, right in front of the Yondaime's forehead. That had always been his favorite place to sit and today, well today it seemed to feel extra special.

His mind raced with memories: the graffiti on the monument, beating the shit out of Mizuki, getting Genin rank, getting stuck in Kakashi's now puerile traps during the survival exam, losing to Sasuke against the demon brothers on the way to the Wave Country, kicking Zabuza's ass before arriving, then kicking Gatou's ass at the bridge. Boy, he kicked a lot of people's asses didn't he? Naruto smiled approvingly. But then again, it _never_ helped with the villagers. Well, he had gotten over that…right? He shook his head. He would not display that thought again. After all, the night was perfect. The moon was bright, the stars twinkled like the third's eyes used to, the sky was cloudless, the night was cool, and the wind was perfect. Nature treated him so well and it made him terribly glad. Finally, something respected him.

The leaves rustled behind the blond. "Neji told me you had returned," a voice said behind him, not surprising him.

"I'm not staying for long, 'baachan," Naruto replied, not even turning. "This village, however beautiful…I'm just not ready for it yet."

Naruto didn't hear a response, he didn't hear anything. The silence between the two, the peace, seemed to be enough to not need to continue. But Tsunade broke it.

"This village is beautiful…isn't it."

Naruto nodded, grinning broadly.

"Soon, it will need a stronger leader, stronger than even me…and definitely more hardworking." She paused. "I just hope you come back to see him."

Naruto knew who she was talking about, his grin slowly fading. "Yeah, I hope so too." His face shown sternly, just staring harshly at the village. Naruto didn't find it as likely as before. Hokage was for someone who the village would follow. They would never follow him, _never_. But if they wouldn't follow him, did not mean he couldn't be respected by the shinobis of Konoha. So there came a new goal, one that was most definitely attainable. "I would be happy to fight for such a leader."

The Godaime turned and looked at Naruto's back, an astonished look that held severity in it. Fight _for_ this leader? He was supposed to _become_ this leader.

"I was way too childish to believe that such an ignorant village would respect me," Naruto said, expression unchanged.

"Naruto that-"

He held up his hand and cut her off. "If not the villagers, I can still serve the shinobi right?" he turned around grinning wildly. "I can still fight for the academy students, the genin's, the chuunin's, and even the jounin's respect right?"

"Yes, but-"

"As long as I still have an excuse to become the strongest ninja of all time, I won't complain. After all, I can still become stronger than the hokage." He turned back around and repeated his thought. "Stronger than the hokage…its not unheard of, but it's most definitely rare."

"Yes, it is," Tsunade replied softly, like a mother supporting her child.

"…Thanks…'baachan," Naruto said.

Tsunade was taken back. "Your…welcome, kid."

The rest of the night was spent in silence, as the two stared out upon the village of Konoha, watching as every light turned out, and the village went black.

BREAK 

"Tsunade-sama." A small shake. "Tsunade-sama!" another small shake. "TSUNADE-SAMA!" Tsunade was lifted off the ground and, held by the shoulders, being shaken back and forth like a doll.

"WHAT!" Tsunade replied, furious by the rude wakeup call. The person who grabbed her let go quickly and retreated, scared to see the hokage so angry.

"I…I just wanted to know wh…why you were sleeping up here." Shizune replied, trembling from Tsunade's murderous aura. The Fifth immediately calmed down, recalling what made her sleep out her in the first place.

It was Naruto.

Seeing that her leader had calmed down somewhat, Shizune approached her cautiously. "We've been looking for you for a while. It's already eleven in the morning!"

"ELEVEN?" Tsunade jumped in shock. "THAT LATE? WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?"

"We couldn't find you." Shizune answered flatly.

Tsunade followed suit, sitting down to restore the peace of the conversation. When had the boy left? All she remember was sitting down to be more comfortable and then nothing, like she had slept sitting.

The Sannin marveled at her ability to sleep sitting, slowly digressing farther and farther away from the more serious issues. Suddenly, she snapped back into reality and quickly reviewed all that had been said last night. Having recalled the conversation, she relaxed somewhat. Naruto wasn't a top priority right now. After all, he'd be back. She sat there, where Naruto sat the night before, and smiled dreamily at the horizon.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Tsunade jumped up. "GO BACK TO YOUR OFFICE AND FINISH YOUR PAPERWORK. STOP SLACKING OFF!"

A little bit intimidated by Shizune's sudden outburst, she followed without complaint, hopping down form the monument to her office building. 'Here we go again,' she thought. 'Back to mounds of paperwork.'

BREAK 

An orange figure moved gracefully among the rooftops. The sun had just begun to rise as the boy hurried to leave before the people would actually wake up. The young man never actually stopped at a roof to jump off to the next. His movement was graceful and smooth. It seemed as if he ran from roof to roof and even through the air in between. As he neared the walls, Naruto began to quicken. He hid his presence and, reaching the last roof, he did a flip onto his hands. Using the momentum, his hands pushed off of the cement roof, skyrocketing him through the air and over the wall gracefully. His landing was phenomenal, thumping on a branch in the middle of the forest and continuing one without taking a break.

Almost at once his mind began to open up. Thoughts poured into his mind…like where he should go next. A place entered his mind. He would surprise a good friend of his, one whom he had met after he began his journey. The way Naruto had remembered it, Hanma didn't look special at all. He stood at the same height as most others in the thirties and his weight seemed to be average too, if not a bit heavier with muscle. His hair was long, straight, and blue like the sea. It was combed to the side and his bangs covered his right eye. His face showed signs of aging with small, almost inconspicuous wrinkles scattered throughout his face. His hands were bigger than the average person's and calloused from continuously hammering on metal. Normally, his attire consisted of a dark, forest green sweatshirt and brown pants along with a heavy duty brown apron for when he hammered and black boots.

When Naruto had arrived at the Steel Country, only about a month after he had left Konoha, Hanma seemed hesitant about hiring Naruto, a rookie ronin. But his disparity soon overwhelmed his doubts as he really needed his mission completed soon. The sooner it was completed, the more money he would be paid. So Hanma gave him his mission, to infiltrate a campsite of a ninja band and steal a scroll. Naruto, being the loud obnoxious ninja he was, ended up alerting every single shinobi in the band and had to fight each one of them.

Long story short, Naruto forgot more than half of the end of the battle due to the Kyuubi. Hanma, uncertain of his hired shinobi's ability, had went with him and witnessed it all. At that point, Hanma had revealed a secret of his own, that he too had a bijuu sealed inside of him. The two hit it off immediately, discussing their lives and hardships. Their individual bijuus also entered conversations. Hanma discovered Naruto's ability to tap into the Kyuubi's power and suggested that as payment for the mission, he would make a weapon in which it could access Kyuubi's chakra immediately. Naruto agreed customizing the weapon to his own specification. And, so, his sword was made.

Now, three years later, Naruto wanted to return and see his old friend. Maybe he would have a new mission for the more experienced ronin. Naruto smiled at the fact that he may be able to get other special weapons. It would take four days to get there and Naruto just couldn't wait, hoping for the time to just fly by as he traveled at his high speed.

BREAK 

And so it did. In no time, Naruto stood at the front gates of the Steel Country's Steel Village. Well, technically they weren't actually gates. But that didn't bother Naruto. He collected chakra into his feet and walked up the wall until he was at the height of the trees. Then he jumped off in a flip, landing on the tree. While the tree was rebounding from the force, Naruto used the moment and jumped up above the walls right behind two patrolling guards. Showing off to no one in particular, Naruto landed on his hands and did a series of flips to slow him down.

A large inhale followed by a similar large exhale relaxed the young shinobi as he stretched a little, loosening his muscles which had gotten used to jumping and running nonstop. He paused and sniffed the air. It smelled familiarly like the stench of smoke, the smoke from furnaces of the many blacksmiths in town, one of which would be Hanma.

Naruto smiled evilly, knowing exactly where the man's blacksmith was located. He jumped down the back of the building and snuck through the alleyways. He slowed at on particular building and began inching across the wall.

He peeked his head over the short wall to see a man in his late thirties pounding away at a piece of steel. Each hit was separated by even margins. The man's form revealed his skill and made it known that he held this occupation for quite a while. His movement was graceful and swift yet full of power. Each hit was measured out and different in strength, however miniscule the difference was. Behind him his previous works hung dangling from the ceiling for passing by customers to observe, or in his case, stare at. The weapons gleamed as if made from silver. And the normal kitchen knives seemed to be not less important, made with the same care as the swords. Everything seemed to be full of brilliance. The tips ended at a single, hard-to-see point. The handles were masterfully crafted with designs so detailed that some were even smaller than visible at first sight. Naruto always enjoyed watching those masterpieces hand there like a trophy case.

BREAK 

Hanma wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm and continued with his pounding. Every detail in every strike had to be precise. Having begun his blacksmith training at 6, Hanma was used to the whole setting. He could still remember the day he had asked for the training. He remembered the days when he would stand behind a corner watching the blacksmith work admiringly before his idol would disappear into his house. One fateful day, Hanma had gathered the courage to approach the blacksmith who, after being asked to teach, replied with a smile and a comforting twinkle in his eyes. Hanme would never forget that face. He saw it everyday in himself when he pounded at disfigured metal.

Suddenly, Hanma sensed a presence behind him. Smoothly, he stole a peek behind him, seeing a familiar blond face. Hanma smiled and, as he pounded with his left hand, furtively reached into a back pouch. He clamped his fingers on steel wrapped in thing cloth. Pulling it out, the man continued his work. On the third hit, he dropped the mallet and turned, flinging his wrist. The kunai became airborne, moving slightly slower than a bullet. The blond seemed to snap out of a trance and spun before disappearing. Hanma looked around confused, but then froze. His whole body grew stiff as he felt the presence behind him. Cold steel was pressed against his neck.

"You were trying to hit me?" A cold tone came from the man.

Hanma just smirked. "With your loud mouth, no man would try and hit you."

The kunai went away, but the man remained. "Urusai," he replied, Hitting the blacksmith to warn him.

Hanma just laughed. "Though you have grown, your comebacks are still as lame as ever, Uzumaki Naruto….or maybe I should call you, Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"Mibikou no Ookami," Naruto replied. Hanma turned and embrace with his friend.

"How's the katana?" Hanma asked.

"The Katana no Kitsune is the new name," Naruto beamed, holding up his katana to show. Hanma unsheathed the sword and observed it.

"Ehh…the condition is still pretty good, just some minor adjustments here and there." Hanma replied as his eyes went from the tip to the shaft and back.

"Anyway, you got any new missions for me?" Hanma stopped and stared at the blond.

"Do you think I'm a man who requires shinobi assistant constantly?"

"No, but…"Naruto's face grew hopeful. "I was kinda hoping you would give me a chance to earn more special gear."

Hanma sighed. "Maybe."

Naruto pumped his fist and waited as Hanma finished his speculation of the sword.

"I'll make the repairs right now. Go ahead and make yourself a bed." Hanma said as he took the red/burnt orange sheath and turned back to his anvil.

Naruto shrugged and replied. "Try not to be too long with it." And he entered the small dwelling with his other belongings.

BREAK 

The crickets chirped loudly at night. But it wasn't only one. Many chirped. The noise was ongoing and had no apparent rhythm. Yet they still chirped. Hanma finished his work early and brought his unsold creations inside to a rack in the family room. Naruto leaned against the opposite wall and watched the different weapons and knives just dangle at the other end of the room. As Hanma hung his last item, a kitchen knife, he spoke.

"I have another mission." Hanma managed to tie the last knife on there and turned toward Naruto. Naruto didn't move, didn't change emotion. He stayed still, his eyes still on the rows of metal.

"I will be shipping weapons to the Wind Country, more specifically the Sunakagure (spelling?) in a week. The Kazekage himself has also asked to be made a weapon."

'Gaara,' Naruto thought. 'What would he want with a weapon?'

"I will go to ship the weapons and stay there to make the Kazekage his unique, custom-made weapon." Hanma turned toward Naruto and pointed. "You will guard my cart of tools and weapons as will as me."

"Guarding you against the Akatsuki I presume?" Naruto asked, finally turning to face the blacksmith.

"From recent rumors around the village, the Akatsuki are quite dangerous." Hanma nodded in reply.

With momentum, Naruto pushed his back off of the wall. "Will it be wise to guard one jinchuuki (I know I spelled this one wrong) with another?"

Hanma just smiled. "That's why I'm hiring you. Because I assume you've improved over the years."

Naruto just smiled.

"Is that dream of becoming Hokage still burning in you?"

Naruto chuckled, the use of 'burning' reminding him of Maito Gai. "It's still alive, but the flames have receded a little."

"I see," Hanma replied. "Well, will you accept my mission?"

Naruto subconsciously hesitated, taking a deep breath, and walked forward to stand 2 feet from Hanma. After ten long seconds of staring into his possible client's face, he finally extended his hand. "Deal."

A/N: sorry for the long update. I'm just…I don't know. I see other ppl giving super short updates and it makes me feel bad so I'll try to make mine shorter. TRY being the operative word. Just try to bear with it. I'm sorry.

The vote for pairings is still open. If you want an OC pairing, try to give me a brief description of what kind of personality, background, etc. they've had. THANKS!

Well, I hope you liked this chap. If the story is still confusing, ask. I'll try to answer it for you in the next update. PLEASE GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM TOO. ALL REVIEWS ARE WELCOME (constructive criticism more than regular criticism). R&R


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